Moding the Basson 500 Arm

[Jon Collins]

Hi,

To answer the lift issue, I found this info in some files on an old machine;

BSN 500e3
Perfect for dv camcorders from 2 to 12 pounds. This product will give you the chance to experience smooth tracking shoots, as those seen on the best movies. You can now easily shoot travelings even from vehicles in movement,make turns, tilts, with this new professional steady system. This product comes with 2 shock absorber arms as those very expensive products on the market. We also added a telescopic post to help you balance the steady for different camcorder weights. this is a very good reason to get into the professional world with a low cost steady system.

BSN 600rc
Perfect for camcorders from 12 to 20 pounds.This product will give you the chance to experience smooth tracking shoots, as those seen on the best movies.You can now easily shoot travelings even from vehicles in movement, make turns, tilts, with this new professional system. This product comes with 2 shock absorber arms as those very expensive products on the market. We also added a telescopic post to help you balance the steady for different camcorder weights. this is a very good reason to get into the professional world with a low cost steady system.

Might find some more info if I keep looking! - It came with a CD with the data sheets on.

[Jon Kon]

Wow, I see now how it is a pretty bad way of making pretty much the most stressed part...   Maybe I will weld a U plate around the whole thing, looks like it will work... Arm should be here in a few days....

What ball park value would you guys give one of these basson arms?  $1000?  $500?

[Jon Kon]

Thanks for that info Jon,

Perfect, that's about the range I was looking for in an arm... Surprised your 600 is rated for more weight and is the one that failed...

[Jon Collins]

Hi Jon,

The problem with where the arm failed, is you cant see how bad the welding is, as its consealed from view.

As for the value of the arm, the whole rig cost about $2,200 dollars new in 2003 I think?

Good luck

Jon

[Jon Kon]

Thanks for that info...  I think I got a good deal on the arm then, as long as it doesn't cause me lots of problems.

[Jon Collins]

The Basson system was, on the whole, not too bad as a good starting point to a modification project!!!!!

The vest was quite usable, and the arm (if it didn't break) was ok, if a bit heavy due to the steel construction. The Sled was shite and needed instant modification. In its vanilla state, it had no bottom adjustment, so would have been impossible got into dynamic balance, and the yolk on the gimbal had some errors such that if you balanced the sled level, then panned 180 deg, it pitched a few degrees!

Soon fix all the above problems as you saw in the pictures of mine  .

Best wishes

Jon

[Pascal Jolink]

Ah yes that wonderful gimbal. The bearing in my gimbal was glued inside the 'sleeve', and at some point the glue dissolved and I couldn't do low-mode any more because the post with bearing attached would just drop down. Another annoying problem was the faulty yoke. At one gig I had to completely turn my body around when doing a pass by otherwise the sled would go off to one side. I was operating alongside the edge of a podium at that occasion. One misplaced step and I would've fallen down 4 feet... To be young again 

One of those bearing cups (at the pivots) in the lower arm just snapped when I boomed down. Never had it fixed, so the arm torqued as hell. Perfect posture could not safe me 

I also had the bottom sled redone with some not so good mods. It worked for a while.

The V-25 on the other hand was a great rig. Still sad that its gone... 

[Jon Kon]

For the price, I went with a flycam6000 to start out with - So i wont have any problems with the sled, other than what the 6000 is prone to.

My whole setup should be less then $1000 and hoping it performs like a $2500ish one...  Shoot, I was pretty happy with my $100 DIY vest and arm

lol

[Jon Kon]

Most of the parts are in... need to find a way to mount them all together. Vest to arm, complicated... may want to incorporate a socket block in the mod... also the 6000 handle is much larger then the basson arm post... so need to mod that also.

I must say, really happy with the 6000 design/price... as far as the basson arm - its a heavy beast at aprox 15lbs itself... It should support whatever I through at it though...

 Whats your arm weigh Charles?

[Jon Kon]

.

[Tom Wills]

Jon -

A couple thoughts on that sled for you. If you're not going to be running it with a monitor, as you are right now, my big recommendation would be to pull off the second set of upper rods, and make one set of rods with both of the weight sets on them. The reason for this is very simple - the moment that you move one weight up or down the post separate from the other, the system goes out of dynamic balance, and it becomes a challenge of shifting one weight in, one out, one up, one down, the camera back and forth, until the rig pans flat. If the 2 weights are on the same plane though, and weigh the same amount, then the rig will always be in dynamic balance, so long as the weights are equidistant. All you have to do then is put the camera's center of gravity over the center of the post, and the rig will spin flat, and be in balance!

Also, if you are going to run with batteries and a monitor, swap which rods they're on. Right now, if you put the monitor up front and the batteries in the back (as you should, so you can keep the rig close to your side and still see the monitor), you'll be hitting the batteries against yourself, as they're up high, and the monitor will be pretty far from you, and probably not at a great angle. By moving the monitor to the upper mount, you're going to keep it high enough to be easily seen, not be trying to arc your head over the battery to see it, and the batteries won't be too close to your thigh or hips.

Good luck with the system!

[Jon Collins]

For your information Jon, here is a pic of the Basson 'socket block'

Jon

[Jon Kon]

Tom,

Good looking out on the sled. Initially I was thinking my lower leg would be more prone to hit the sled when having it lower - but makes more sense to see your monitor. I don't have the monitor and batts yet so I modded it like you said. I was super lucky to have carbon fiber rails laying around that are a perfect replacement to heavy steal ones, which I really didn't notice till I took the old ones off...

Check it out:


Jon, thats what I was looking for... I think I will see if basson has any of those for sale... update: called and emailed - no response yet.

I think I am going to have an issue with the arm length all out there sitting in front of me, noticing this is a side arm vest that it pairs with... eh.  I think I will need another swivel piece like in the center where it connects to the vest...  Any concerns or ideas here?

[Jon Collins]

Hi Jon,

With the arm attached the vest, it can pivot over the top of the spar.

[Tom Hall]

Hey, I've got a Glidecam 2000 right now and I'm seriously looking at the Flycam 6000 to replace it.  

How happy are you with the quality?  I saw a video on Youtube of a spin test versus a Flyer sled and the Flycam spun around 5 times before coming to a stop.

Has your experience been better?  How does the gimbal secure to the post?  is it with that one clamp, or with 2 screws as I've heard? I really like the top stage and post width for the price, along with the adjustable base.

Could you make a thread detailing the Flycam 6000 in depth?  I'd be really interested in seeing that.